PMM! I meant to say to you -- two grocery stores down, and no Dutched cocoa. One of the grocery stores was snotty enough to have Scharffenberger and Ghirardelli baking chocolate only (no Hershey's or Nestle's), but no Dutching.

Which, really, isn't your fault or anything. It was just your name I wailed as I went back over the shelf again and again.

Next stop, Wholefoods.

the aquarium sounds like such fun. Are you going to Cabrillo or Long Beach?

Long Beach. Our friends live in Bellflower.

I already know I'm going to be dog tired afterwards, but I am so looking forward to it. The two girls ADORE each other. It's always killer diller when they get together. And luckily DH will be coming too, so he can run after them, if need be.

ita, did you see this excellent knife holder that tommyrot (I think) linked?

It's a perfect gift for you, but sadly can not be purchased in the US as they have no distributor.

ita, I know I've seen dutched chocolate at the Ralph's near me. Want me to buy some for you?

ita and Burrell, want to go to the Lush in SM next weekend?

It was just your name I wailed as I went back over the shelf again and again.

That is a fun image. "Ple! Ple! Where's the dutch chocolate? Why is it hiding from me?!?"

Next stop, Wholefoods.

Don't bother, at least don't bother with the one near me. I had to settle for unDutched baking chocolate. The irony is that I'm sure any regular ol' market has it.

Next stop, Wholefoods.

Our Whole Foods doesn't have it. The bastards.

I've decided your L.A. groceries are just weird, because I can get Dutched cocoa in Safeway, so long as I don' t mind that it's the cheap stuff.

ita have you tried Surfa's? That's where we got Dutch processed chocolate?

Have you ever been to Surfa's?

Basically, there's a city-wide election in BH next week. There's a measure on the ballot to approve a new hotel, the Montage, with some parking facilities and a park. But some people are freaking because the parking facilities are going to charge people to park there. And there's all this stuff about how it's somehow part of a secret conspiracy to start charging at all the BH parking garages.

So you have all these ads to VOTE YES ON THE MONTAGE because it's GOOD FOR BH. And then you have ads to VOTE NO ON THE MONTAGE because it's BAD FOR BH.

And, now, in the most recent, and frankly hilarious development, there is a new ad suggesting that the Citizens Who Hate the Montage So Much They're Buying Ads to Make People Vote Against It are not citizens at all but, in fact, The Four Seasons and The Peninsula. The two hotels that, coincidentially, would probably be most affected by the new hotel.

There's also some related stuff about fire and police and schools but I'm not entirely clear on how the new hotel affects all that.

ETA: Also, ita, if you can't find something at Gelson's, they'll track it down for you.

Surfas is Da Bomb. I'm drinking tea from there right now. AIFG.